Rotary engine



UNTTee STATns PATENT Orricn.

JOSEPH A. ARTHUR, OE LOUISA, KENTUCKY, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO VILLIAM H. ROBINSON AND EDVARD MUHLEMAN, BOTH OF WHEELING,

VEST VIRGINIA.`

ROTARY ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 320,204, elated June 16, 1885.

Application filed February 14, 1885.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, J osi-irri A. ARTHUR, of Louisa, in the county of Lawrence and State of Kentucky, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Rotary Engines and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

'The object I have in view in the construction of rotary engines is to avoid as much as possible all packing, and to guard against steam-cutting, the destruction of the packing and the cutting away by steam being the principal causes of failures in such engines,

and also to avoid the use of springs or pivots Y in connection with the pistons, valves, or cutoffs, which in wear cause the parts to become loose, increase the friction, and speedily destroy the effectiveness of the engine. Myimprovenients to this end are found in employing the smallest number of parts,in simplicity in the construction of such parts, and conscquently in economy of first cost, economy in use,and great durability, as well as efficiency in work. The particular novelty therein consists in a peculiar piston, in its combination with a suitable valve, in a peculiar cut-off, in the arrangement of the parts 'by which the steam is used expansively, and in the various operative combinations of the several parts, all as more fully hereinafter described and claimed.

For the better understanding of my improvement s1 reference should be had to the drawings, in which- Figure l is a vertical longitudinal central section of my engine 5 Fig. 2, an end view of the same on line a x of Fig. l; Eig. 3, a plan 4o view of one of the gear-wheels with a cut-ofi` secured upon the same; Eig. 4, an end view of the piston, and Eig. 5 a similar view of the valve.

Like letters denote corresponding parts in 5 each figure.

The drawings represent the engine as inclosed in a suit-able shell, A, through which shafts B B pass longitudinally, journalcd in suitable boxes, a a, having suitable caps, b b,

(No model.)

the shaft B being arranged in the upper cen- 5o tral portion, and the shaft B in the lower central portion of the shell. To one end of the shaft B a driving-pulley, O, is secured, from which motion is imparted by the engine for work, as desired. This shell is divided by vertical diaphragms D Dinto three distinct divisions, EE E2. The divisionEcontains the valve E, which is secured upon the shaft B, and the piston G, which is secured upon the shaft B. The division E contains the gear-wheel H, e@ which is mounted upon the shaft B, and the gear-wheel H, which is mounted upon the shaft B, and the cut-offs I I, one of which is secured upon each face of the gear-wheel H. The division E2 cont-ains a valve, J, in all re- 65 spects similar to the valve F, and mounted upon the shaft B, and a piston, K, in all respects similar to the piston G, and mounted upon the shaft B. The admission oflive steam may conveniently be made at the pipe L, and the exhaust at the pipe M, both connected directly with the division E, which virtually acts as a steam-chest.

rIhe piston G (shown by end view in Fig. 4) is preferably a hollow-cylinder casting, with a spider support to its hub, and is made heavier, as shown at c, at the point opposite its bucket, for the purpose of giving it a ilywheel action in passing the dead-center. 'The piston has only one wing, d, which has a bucket 8o or depression, e, on that side which in ordinary work would receive the pressure of the live steam, the other side being fiat, which would receive the live steam in reversing the engine. As this piston revolves, the outer end of its wing d ruiming as closely as possible to the inner walls of the shell, the bucket e rcccives the greatest force of impact of the live steam continually in a direct line, and there is little tendency of the steam to escape by its 9o extreme end, and thereby cutting at this point is almost wholly avoided. The valve F is likewise preferably a hollow cylindrical casting, with an exterior groove, f, extending throughout its length, and nearly to its center, of a semi-cylindrical form in cross-section, having wings g, which are made of much heavier metal, so as to give a ily-wheel action to the valve when rotating. This valve is so placed upon its shaft in relation to the piston and its shaft that in every concurrent revolution of the piston and the valve, turning in the same direction, whether forward or backward, the extreme end of the wing d enters and sweeps around andpasses out of the groove f of the valve, and as closely as possible to its walls. This certainty of operation is insured by the gear-wheels H and H, by which the driving action of theshaftB' is communicated to the shaft B, and consequently the revolutions of the piston and the valve are uniform in relation to each other. The piston K and valve J are arranged on the shafts B and B precisely opposite the other piston and valve, so far as relates to the wing of the piston and the groove ofthe valveas, for instance, when in the piston K and valve J the wing of the piston is farthest away from the center of the groove in the valve J, then the wing of the piston G is precisely in the center of the groove of its valve F, and vice versa. From this it results that a sufficient force ot' steam is at all times affecting the revolution of the portions, and practically there is no dead-center, and no fly-wheel is needed. Live steam admitted into the division E finds its way into the division E through the port g', and impinges directly upon the bucket of the piston G directly after its wing passes out of t-he groove in the valve F and drives said bucket around, first by the direct impact of thc steam and afterward by its expansion. When this bucket has made twothirds of its revolution, the live steam strikes the bucket of the piston Kthrough the port (not shown) arranged in relation to its piston as above, and drives it around in precisely the same way. This expansive use of steam is effected by the arrangement of the cut-offs I and I',

which are composed of annular rim-pieces i i',

which are removably secured to the faces of the gear-wheel H', preferably in third part annular sections, each section answering to a cutoft'of one-third, and, as shown in Fig. 3, two of such sections represent a cut-off of twothirds. These sections t' t" are of a size to cover the steam-ports, and are so arranged that when those on one side uncover the livesteam port the corresponding sections on the other side cover the steam-port there, and

. must do this accurately from their attachment to the gear-wheel H. The exhaust-ports (not shown) in the division E are opposite the live-steam ports g g-that is to say, are just at the points where the wing of the piston enters the groove of the valve. It results from this construction and arrangement that vthe steam is cut off on the alternate sides at twothirds, and works one-third by expansion; but it is evident that this may be changed as desired, and the cut-offs arranged to cut off at any point. It is evident, also, -that for use as an engine to run in only one direction, or for use with water as an engine or as a pump, the section E2 may be dispensed with; or the engine may be used with steam on one side and -Inthe use of this invention' it is apparent that no packing need be required within the shell, and thereforeits destruction is avoided, and that the construction of the pistons and valves is such that no injurious steam-cutting can take place. It is also evident that by the employment of the buckets in the wings of the piston the greatest force of the live steam is directed against a close part of the wing, and there is no opportunity for any injurious steam-cutting around its extreme end. It is also evident that by the use of the double system of pistons and valves the steam can be used not only eXpansively, but in such order of progressive force that a strong and uniform revolution of the pistons is effected without the use of a fly-wheel; and by the employment of the screw-caps end-play of the shafts is avoided, and all lateral movement of the pistons, valves, and cut-offs is prevented.

Having thus described my invention and enumerated some of its advantages, what I claim as new therein, and desire to protect by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a rotary engine, a piston made heavier at one point and provided at an opposite point with a straight radial wing having a curved bucket or depression on one side, substantially as described.

2. In a rotary engine, the combination of a piston made heavier at one point, and having a wing with a curved bucket or depression on one side, with a Valve having wings of heavier metal and an intermediate semicircular groove throughout its length, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. In combination with a-piston having a bucket-wing, a valve having weighted wings and an intermediate groove, the shafts B B', which carry the piston and valve, the gearwheel H, and the gear-wheel H, provided with the cut-offs I I', substantially as described.

4. In combination with the gear-wheel H', the cutoffs I I', constructed and arragaged substantially as described. i

5. In combination, the gear-wheel H', carrying the cut-oft`s I, the live-steam port g', and

' the piston G, whereby the steam .is cut off at the desired point and caused to work expansively, substantially as described.

6. In combination with the piston G and valve F, the live-steam port g and the exhaust-steam port, arranged, respectively, at the points where the Wing of the piston enters and leaves the groove of the valve, substantially as described.

7. The arrangement, in the shell of a rotary engine, vof pistons and valves on each side of an intermediate steam-box, such pistons and valves on one side being set oppositely to those on the other side, so that they take and IIO exhaust steam at different intervals of time, 9. In combination with the steam-box E', whereby a constant positive revolution of the gear-wheels H H and the eut-Offs I I, both pistons and valves is secured and the use composed of the rim-pieces t' i', removably se- 15 of a flywheel avoided, substantially as decuredto the faces of the wheel H, and all arscribed. p ranged within such steam-box, substantially 8. In a rot-ary engine, in combination with as described. the shafts B B and the cylinder with its boxes In testimony whereof I affix my signature or projections aa', the screw-caps b b', wherein presence of two witnesses. by end-play of the shafts is avoided, and all JOSEPH A. ARTHUR. lateral movement of the pistons, valves, and cut-offs is prevented, substantially as described.

Vitnesses:

CHARLES W. HANDY, GEO. H. COOPER, Jr. 

